Obama and France still plan to strike Syria without the UK

Newscast Media WASHINGTON—Despite Britain’s rejection of David Cameron’s
proposal to attack Syria, France is ready to follow the US and strike Syria, President
François Hollande told Le Monde newspaper on Friday. Although strikes should not
take place before UN inspectors have finished their investigation in Damascus, they
could be launched before a special meeting of the French parliament on Wednesday,
he said.

France wants a firm, proportionate action against the Damascus regime,” Hollande
told Le Monde, insisting that Paris can take such action without British support.

“Every country is sovereign when it comes to taking part in an operation or not,” the
president said. “That goes as much for France as for the United Kingdom.”

Hollande is to have an “in-depth” phone discussion with US President Barack Obama,
he told the paper, pointing out that, even if he is counting on support from other
European powers and the Arab League, France is one of the few countries with the
“capacity to inflict punishment with the appropriate means”.

Germany will not take part in a military strike on Syria, Foreign Minister Guido
Westerwelle told the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung on Friday.